Rays Designate Jake Woodford For Assignment

The Rays announced that right-hander Manuel Rodríguez has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list. Fellow righty Jake Woodford has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move.

Tampa is clearly trying to control the workloads of the pitchers who will play key roles in the postseason. The Rays have already clinched the top spot in the American League, making the remaining contests fairly meaningless. A couple of days ago, they called up Mason Englert to start a game, allowing Ian Seymour to be pushed back. Englert was optioned the next day, with Woodford added to the roster. Seymour started yesterday but was pulled after just 58 pitches over five innings.

Woodford was put into the game after Seymour. The Rays were probably hoping that he could absorb a few frames, but that didn’t really go according to plan. He faced eight batters but only recorded four outs and was charged with three earned runs. Brody Hopkins and Steven Matz finished out the game.

The Rays have quickly moved on and have bumped Woodford off the roster to make room for the return of Rodríguez. Woodford will be placed on waivers since the trade deadline is long gone. He should clear and would then have the right to elect free agency, since he has been outrighted before.

He could accept an outright assignment in the hopes of getting called back up for the playoffs but he would be way down the list. Woodford has been an emergency innings eater for several years, bouncing around the league to whichever club wants to spare their other arms. Dating back to the start of 2023, Woodford has an ERA of 7.00 in 146 2/3 innings for seven different clubs.